Review: 365 Classic Bedtime Bible Stories: Inspired by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, Daniel Partner (Editor), Alessia Girasole (Illustrations)

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Story Time--The Most Important 10 Minutes in a Child's Day!
 
Your children or grandchildren will delight in this fully-illustrated storybook that brings 365 read-aloud classic Bible stories to life for impressionable young hearts.

Beginning with the creation story, "God Creates the Earth," and ending with "In Eternity with God,” your children will develop faith in an almighty God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, while journeying alongside Bible characters like Samuel, Jonah, Esther, David, John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, and many more.

365 Classic Bedtime Bible Stories promises to make bedtime reading a delightful learning and faith-building experience for your kids 3 and up.

My Review

This is a great book to read to children! I appreciated that there are lesser-known stories included, and I feel like reading one or two stories each day will give children a deeper knowledge of the entirety of the Bible. The illustrations are simple and colorful, perfect for younger children. Each page is a summary of a story in the Bible, and while they are portrayed in an age-appropriate manner, I wish that the quotes from what the people said were not put into a modern day narrative, but the actual words spoken from the King James version of the Bible. I think it is important for children to get used to the language of the Bible for when they begin to read it on their own. Overall this is a valuable resource for developing a love of the scriptures in children. There is even a ribbon bookmark attached to hold your place!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Gratitude Giveaway Hop!

November is an excellent month for expressing gratitude, and I am especially thankful for books, the authors who write them, the opportunity to review them, and for YOU! Thank you for following my little blog! It's been so fun to connect with other avid readers :)

This giveaway is for a print copy (with signed bookplate!) of a wonderful book I read this year, Life After by Katie Ganshert. Read my 5 star review here, enter in the giveaway widget below, and hop along to some other blog giveaways! Happy Thanksgiving!

Synopsis

It could have been me.

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.

In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.

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Review & Goodreads Giveaway: The Darkest Summer by Rebecca J. Greenwood

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Lady Cora Winfield's life has always gone according to plan--her mother's plan. That's why Cora is so fascinated when she meets the dark Duke of Blackdell. Knowing his dangerous reputation, Cora's mother flatly forbids the match, and the duke decides to take matters into his own hands. Kidnapped and facing a scandal, Lady Cora must now decide whether love will be her downfall or the beginning of a new plan, one she never dreamed possible.

Set in the stormy summer of 1816, this Regency romance is a retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone.

My Review

Loved it! The details of Cora and Adam, the duke, really made the story for me, as well as their mutual yearning for unconditional and affectionate love. Cora is passionate about horticulture and loves plants and flowers, even trying to rescue the plants that are getting waterlogged in Hyde Park and worrying over the wheat crop of England. Adam is struggling with a lingering injury from Waterloo and the sorrow and grief he has over losing his entire company of soldiers to the violence there. The initial attraction they feel for each other is unexpected and Adam's infatuation with Cora leads him to seek her out and discover her true characteristics beyond the ballroom niceties.

Cora's controlling mother is a complex character- at times seeming the villain in her treatment of her daughter, but also had me curious if her motivation was merely selfish or if she truly had deeper concern for her daughter's future well-being. While the pace at the beginning of the book is a bit slow, once Adam and Cora are off on their adventure the plot really spices up and emotions are brought to the surface and forced to be dealt with. Adam's closest servants that accompany them provide humor and more depth as their loyalty and regard for him reveals his true nature. A wonderful Regency novel with sweet romance and excitement!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a copy of The Darkest Summer!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Darkest Summer

by Rebecca J. Greenwood

Giveaway ends November 27, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Don't miss the FREE prequel novella, The Darkest Hour, available on Instafreebie
 

Synopsis

When dutiful Lady Hester Douglas, over thirty and long on the shelf, receives word that her brother Adam, the Duke of Blackdale, has survived the Battle of Waterloo, she abandons propriety and heads to Brussels to be by his side. Her widowed minister, Mr. Alasdair Gilchrist, escorts her on the journey from Scotland into a Europe recovering from years of war.

Once she reaches her injured brother, Hester must fight to keep Adam alive and tightly guard her heart’s deepest secret—she’s been in love with Mr. Gilchrist for years.

Will the pain of being with the minister, the man she loves and can never have, distract her from her purpose? Or will she overcome the barriers of age, rank, and station, and seize the love she’s dreamt of?

The Darkest Hour is a standalone inspirational Regency romance novella, and is also a prequel to The Darkest Summer.

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About the Author

Rebecca J. Greenwood is an author, artist, and designer with a love of stories, especially Regency romances. She grew up in Texas as the oldest of six, and studied visual art with a music minor at Brigham Young University. Rebecca lives in Utah with her husband, where she listens to audiobooks, cooks experimentally, has an interest in alternative health, and constantly has a new project in mind. Visit rebeccajgreenwood.com to experience more of her art, writing, and upcoming projects.

Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Christmas at Cade Ranch by Karen Rock


On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Christmas at Cade Ranch

(Rocky Mountain Cowboys #1)
by Karen Rock
Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
November 7th 2017 by Harlequin

The Christmas they never had.

James Cade has one priority: keep the family ranch running smoothly in the wake of his younger brother's death. With Jesse's ex, Sofia Gallardo, and her young son, Javi, stranded at Cade Ranch over Christmas, this task just got a lot harder. The longer Sofia and Javi stay, the harder it is to imagine the ranch without them. James couldn't save his brother from his inner demons, but he can give his nephew a secure future. Maybe more—if he can figure out how to trust Sofia, and stop feeling like he's betraying Jesse. Because trying to stop thinking about beautiful, determined Sofia is impossible.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo│Book Depository│Harlequin

Excerpt

Sofia’s glossy black mane swung back from her face as she tilted it to study James. “No. I feel guilty because I’m glad you’re here and not—not—Jesse.” Tears welled in her eyes. “That makes me a monster.”

He cupped her shaking shoulders and their feet stilled. Something exploded in his chest. His heart maybe. She cared about him. She experienced the same powerful emotions that had taken him by storm from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. “Then I’m one, too, because I want you here, would have wanted you even if Jesse had brought you home, and I’m glad I don’t have to compete for you.”

She brushed something from his cheek, her touch achingly tender. “I’m not sure it would have been much of a competition.”

“We’ll never find out, just like we can’t change what happened.”

The sparkling light reflected in her brown eyes. “No. And maybe we shouldn’t wallow in it, either.”

He nodded. “Ma’s right. Jesse would want us to be happy. He cared about that most of all.”

Suddenly, the heaviness that’d been buckling his shoulders since Jesse’s death eased. The grief, the remorse he’d been carrying all these years was his own making. Not Jesse’s. He saw that now.

Jesse would want him to be happy. And nothing made him happier than Sofia.

And Javi.

“You care about others as much as Jesse did,” Sofia insisted and her indignant expression, her defense of him, stirred him deeply. “You just show it differently. I used to believe you wanted to control me because you didn’t think enough of me, and maybe that was true at first. Now I know it’s coming from a good place. You just want to keep everyone safe.”

“Protected,” he murmured, touched that she alone understood him. It felt like a homecoming. “I want to be that person for you and Javi. Controlling you or anyone is wrong, but I’ll always be the kind of man that looks out for others, especially my family.”

“Am I part of your family?” She choked up a bit on the last word. His eyes whizzed to the ceiling and he blinked fast, thinking about her lonely, difficult life.

With every breath he took while on this earth, he’d make it all up to her.

“Yes. More than that, even.”

About the Author

In a quest to provide her ELA students with quality reading material, educator Karen Rock read everything out there and couldn't wait to add her voice to the genre. In addition to her work as a Young Adult romance novelist, she's now an author for Harlequin's Heartwarming line and thrilled to pen stories that moms can share with their teenage daughters. She's loved Harlequin books since she spent summers going through her grandmother's Presents books that she passed along in paper grocery bags each year. As half of the writing duo J.K. Rock, Karen also pens young adult romance. When she's not busy writing, Karen enjoys scouring estate sales for vintage books, cooking her grandmother's family recipes, reinventing her gardens to suit her moods and occasionally rescuing local wildlife from neighborhood cats. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, her very appreciated beta-reader daughter, and two Cavalier King cocker spaniels, who have yet to understand the concept of "fetch" though they know a lot about love. For more information about Karen's upcoming books, check out her website.

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Other Heartwarming Books by the Author

Tour Schedule

November 6th:

Launch

Katie's Clean Book Collection

It's All About the Romance

underneath the covers

23 Review Street

November 7th:

Slice of Life

Jorie Loves A Story

Janice's Book Reviews

Ever After Book Reviews

November 8th:

Thoughts of a Blonde

Granny Loves to Read

Bookworm Lisa

Brooke Blogs

November 9th:

Getting Your Read On

Harlie's Books

Rietpetite's Book Reviews

Zerina Blossom's Books

November 10:

Becky on Books

Wishful Endings

Hearts & Scribbles

Reading Is My SuperPower

November 11th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card along with print copies of HIS KIND OF COWGIRL, UNDER AN ADIRONDACK SKY AND A COWBOY TO KEEP by Karen Rock, TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH by Elizabeth Lowell, THOSE TEXAS NIGHTS by Delores Fossen and FAMILY TREE by Susan Wiggs.- US Only.

- Ends November 15th

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